Brazil’s Former President Lula da Silva (left) – Brasilia – Brazil – April 16, 2016
Photo Credit: Reuters
My heart bleeds for Brazil and the majority working class. Rosaliene.
Brazil’s popular Former President Lula da Silva joined social movement leaders in the capital of Brasilia to denounce efforts to oust his successor.
Three Worlds One Vision 
He is absolutely right, not only the elite but also the middle class of this country is anti democratic and fascist…
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Thanks for your comment, Maximiliano. Of late, Brazil has taken quite a beating: Petrobras corruption scandal, Zica virus, calls for impeachment of President Dilma, investment downgrade, Rio’s upcoming Olympics at risk. We know who loses. The question is: Who gains?
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To be expected. Same old, same old.
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Perhaps, Sha’Tara. But, it’s the “same old, same old” with new lessons for other emerging democratic economies like Brazil.
Our struggle against corruption in government is being used against us. The partial release of the Panama Papers is no coincidence. They add fuel to the flames. Who are the winners and the losers? We in Canada and the USA cannot dismiss these developments.
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I wasn’t being dismissive, but the opposite. Remember the old cartoon, spy vs spy? This is Power versus Power, in which the elites ALWAYS win and the rank and file ALWAYS lose. The game is rigged. Democracies are not democracies – they’re psy-ops, always were. The concept probably originated (or was defined) in ancient Greece, and who were their democrats? The elites; men only, men who owned lands, women and slaves. Serfdom is the foundation for democracy as the West knows and understands it to function. It isn’t meant, and never was meant, to give freedom to the masses. No, the masses serve the role of legitimizers for the System, and how well they play their parts considering all the reasons why they should walk off the set! I watched a documentary yesterday that shows how “democracies” have levelled off at around 52% (not exactly sure that’s the right figure) of global nations. Nothing new gained since the 70’s. There are just enough “democracies” to make people believe it’s a growing, gaining trend, but it isn’t. America, for example, is a “benign” military dictatorship (though more militaristic and police-tic by the year). Canada’s democracy is basically following the Arctic ice trend: melting with political climate change.
The American Empire took Central and South Americas from the Spanish and Portuguese Empires for itself and has kept a stranglehold of puppet military or mob dictators over those countries for over a century, openly deposing legitimately elected governments time and again. That’s what I meant by “same old, same old” – it’s a power play pattern and what always amazed me when I encountered many Latinos was their belief that “Americans” would help them reinstate their lost democracies. The mice believing that the cat doesn’t actually eat mice, he’s really quite a nice cat who truly wants to help the mice gain autonomy and protect themselves from “other” rogue cats, namely communist cats, socialist cats, anti-American cats.
Have a look at this article if you find the time: The Zombie Doctrine
http://www.monbiot.com/2016/04/15/the-zombie-doctrine/
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Thanks for clarifying your statement, Sha’Tara. Thanks, too, for sharing the link to Monbiot’s article, “The Zombie Doctrine.” Breaking free of our invisible chains won’t be easy.
Love your description of Canada’s democracy: “[it’s] basically following the Arctic ice trend: melting with political climate change.” I think it also sums up well the decline of human civilization: so imperceptible that we don’t realize it’s happening until we’re neck deep in water and far from the shore.
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Thanks for the re-comment, Rosaliene.
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Sha’Tara, George Monbiot’s name just turned up on Truth Out.
“It’s a classic example of neutron bomb politics. The old democratic structures are still standing, but the political life they contained has been snuffed out. On behalf of a global elite that finds democracy inconvenient, decisions are now taken elsewhere, beyond the reach of parliaments. If democracy cannot be undermined on behalf of financial power at home (and there are plenty of opportunities here too, such as the corruption of the political process through campaign finance), it can now be done offshore.”
~ Excerpt from Mark Karlin’s interview with George Monbiot about never-ending economic growth on a finite planet, Truth Out, April 17, 2016
http://www.truth-out.org/news/item/35668-george-monbiot-never-ending-growth-cannot-be-sustained-on-a-finite-planet
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Adlai Stevenson II, the Democratic Party presidential candidate in ’52 and ’56, is reported to have said that most of us “don”t read the handwriting is on the wall until our back is up against it.” Since it seems we are close, perhaps we can hope for an increase in the number of us who work against the status quo.
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Hope you are right, Dr. Stein. With giant media corporations supporting the status quo, it’s difficult to get our message out.
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Taking up a bit more space on your blog here (just say when enough is enough!) I consider your comment: “it’s difficult to get our message out.” “OUR” message – that’s the hitch thought. It’s like them versus us, always. But in the end game it won’t be “our” message versus “their” message. We’re going to go through the crucible of change. Climate change is one indicator of irreversible change. Next, a global political and financial crisis is another indicator of irreversible change. The third indicator is about to really begin: massive death tolls among humanity; a tsunami of die-back that will take the population way down, cutting across genders, races, beliefs, status – everything. This is the final “message” that all will hear because they will no longer have any choice – their backs will be against that proverbial wall with the writing on it and the cleansing of earth’s evil trinity of powers: Religion, Politics and Money will cut a deep and bloody swath through society. Oh, there will be massive denial, and massive blame and scape-goat approaches of course, but when the blamed and the scapegoats are all dead and gone and the problems remain, a “new” message will arise within the remaining populations; a new awareness born of extremity and despair; new voices will be heard speaking “the message” that people have always obdurately refused to listen to. The message will be of peace, of acceptance, of understanding and of compassion. All the sceptics (like myself) will be gone then for we are here now only to warn people against easy believism; of falling for the lie that from within existing structures can arise solutions. With the forces of the status quo defeated, the people’s blinders will be gone and they will see each other for the first time ever. It will be like a curse is lifted after millennia of falsehoods and of wandering blind among the blind. Everybody will know the new message and they will no longer remember the old one.
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Reblogged this on Guyanese Online.
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Thanks for the reblog, Cyril 🙂
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am still trying to figure out what’s really going on in brasil
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As I see it, Mark, it’s a new form of legalized coup based on alleged charges of corruption. Democratically elected left-wing governments in South America are under attack.
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hmm ok
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Mark, I read the following article by Mark Weisbrot, published today on The World Post:
“Washington’s Dog-Whistle Diplomacy Supports Attempted Coup in Brazil”
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/mark-weisbrot/washingtons-dog-whistle-d_b_9757652.html
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